What Is Refinancing?

Learn about refinancing in this Howcast finance video with expert Gregory McGraime.

Transcript

Refinancing simply means you are taking you existing mortgage, and you are replacing it or paying it off with a new mortgage. That's all. I know it sounds complicated but it really isn't. And there are a couple of different reasons why someone might want to refinance their mortgage. One of the biggest reasons is to get a lower interest rate. So maybe I got my mortgage for my house or my apartment a few year ago. And interest rates at that time were at six or seven percent. And now I'm looking at rates that are at five percent. I might refinance or replace my old mortgage with a new mortgage to get a lower rate. And to save on interest. So saving on interest is one of the biggest reasons to refinance your mortgage. There are other reasons why you want to refinance. Sometimes you have some equity in the property and in addition to getting a new mortgage you want to pull some of that equity out of the property. And that would be considered a "cash out refinance". One of the most common questions I get is 'when should I refinance' and 'how do I know when is the right time to refinance'. And it really depends on your situation, because there are some drawbacks to refinancing as well. It is not a free benefit. When you refinance you have to pay closing cost to do that, so you always have to weigh the benefits of refinancing with the cost that you are paying. And I know a lot of people will tell you: 'there is no closing cost out there, don't worry about it', particularly the sales people that are trying to sell you a mortgage. But trust me, there are always closing costs. You may not always see it, but you may be paying out of pocket, you maybe getting a bigger loan amount, so they are putting the cost into the loan, or you may be paying in terms of a higher interest rate than you could have gotten otherwise. So you are always wanting to weigh the cost of refinancing with the perceived benefit. Also take a look to how this fits in into your financial situation. One of the challenges sometimes people don't realize is they keep stretching out or refinancing into new loans and they're stretching out the loans, and they end up paying more interest over the long term because they are never paying down or paying off their house. So keep that in mind. Make sure when refinancing you get a new mortgage that is right for your situation. And make sure the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.